(Tulsa Co. reserve) Deputy's gun not on approved list or qualifying logs

[Newsjock]

Source: Tulsa World

Training records released Saturday do not show that Tulsa County Reserve Deputy Robert Bates qualified on a revolver he carried during a fatal shooting and his gun was not on the list of firearms deputies can carry on duty.

... A spokesman for the Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a list of questions submitted via email by the World on Sunday. Undersheriff Tim Albin has previously denied that anyone at the sheriff’s office falsified records.

... In an email to the World, attorney Clark Brewster said: “Deputy Bates volunteered his time, was dutiful in fulfilling all training and exceeded the training required by attending out-of-state seminars and training sessions.” ... However, the training records released so far list only Glock .45-caliber pistols and a Rock River LAR-15 assault rifle.

... The records show Bates’ firearms scores met or exceeded the score of 72 required to qualify, however no logs for 2008, 2012 and 2013 were included in the training records. In one qualifying test, Bates initially received a score of 16 before scoring a 64 and 72 on his last attempt.

Read more: http://www.tulsaworld.com/homepage1/deputy-s-gun-not-on-approved-list-or-qualifying-logs/article_cb1842d8-2498-548f-b3eb-4880bbf0b878.html

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Top of the Monday morning front page in the Tulsa World.

[Fred Sanders]

1. Corruption is the disease, training problems are one of the symptoms, one of many when corruption

is the cause.

[phil89]

2. Several people need prison

Time over this. And this goof qualified with an assault rifle? That's comforting. Good lord.

[calimary]

9. Yeah, no shit. That's "comforting" as hell. NOT.

How many purported "rules" were bent or flat-out broken for this guy? So this rich sheriff's sugar daddy could go play dress-up out in the field? Fully armed? AND EXCEEDINGLY dangerous? SHEESH. Were they really that hard-up for money in that sheriff's department? A few tax increases could have covered their expenses rather than looking for a bunch of wannabes with big bucks to spread around. If he was a buddy of the sheriff, NO WONDER they'd give him all kinds of passes and covers and favorable treatment and leniency! Wonder how much has been swept under the rug to try to cover for this guy? AND/OR others like him? How many other aging male groupies with open checkbooks have they done this for, too (but they just didn't get caught because maybe they weren't out on some sting operation that day)?

"Deputy" Robert Bates and others like him should have been NOTHING MORE THAN CROSSING GUARDS - if ANYTHING. And absolutely, without ANY doubt - UNARMED. He had NO BUSINESS WHATSOEVER out on dangerous sting duty with the pros. SHEESH. It's really just horrendous to think that this kind of shit goes on and MIGHT only stop after they needlessly and negligently kill somebody.

[Magleetis]

3. Lie, cheat, steal and murder

Cops and criminals are one in the same. One big gang with a lot of power.

[Sunlei]

4. what training do police get to use a taser like a cattle prod? 'drive mode' to press the taser to sk

'drive mode' to press a taser to skin is painful torture!

That's why all the police, yelled "taser, taser", then said 'clear' and got off of the poor man, they let the 'volunteer' administer electric shock as brutal torture.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. The police will blatantly lie and get away with it

They will get sued in civil court, settle without admitting fault and do this all over again at some future point.

[uponit7771]

11. ...and this can be reasonably seen as the optimistic view

[Mr.Bill]

6. Wait...he confused

a revolver with a Taser? Unbelievable. Literally.

[GeorgeGist]

7. Fruitvale defense.

[uponit7771]

12. +1

[Lurks Often]

8. Unlikely to be an issue in the criminal trial, the civil trial on the other hand....

Every new fact that comes out of this fiasco probably adds a couple of more million to the settlement in the civil suit, because the Sheriff's department and the County really don't want to go to court with this.

As for the criminal trial, Bates using a less powerful and harder to shoot handgun then what is standard issue, isn't likely to be a significant factor. I fully expect a plea deal, but IF it goes to trial, the trial will be about whether or not Bates is guilty, not the weapon he used.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

10. So, that gun was not issued to him but was one he bought and carried on his own?

[BobbyBoring]

14. Correct

It was his "Personal" gun. Not sure about the taser though. How the fuck one can cunfuse the two, even at 73 is beyond belief.

This geezer needs to spend his remaining days behind bars and the lunatics that let him loose deserve the same.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. His money should go to the victim's family.

[dbackjon]

13. Of course not.

No, he did not mean to shoot him, but he shouldn't have been there in the first place

I hold the Sheriff equally or more responsible. He should be arrested as well.

[bravenak]

15. I hold the sheriff responsible too.

He knew better.